Dancing In the Moonlight
by Eruherdiriel
Summary: Aang can't sleep and finds Katara outside waiting for the rain, She tells him a few memories about her mom and He comforts her. But will he ever tell her how he feels? Please R&R. This story in in no way related to "First Kiss" Kataang and Tokka
1. Memories Of The Past

**When I started writing this, it was going to be Tokka, but I guess I'm stuck on Kataang right now! So please review and give me ideas for chapter two! By the way, this fanfic is in no way related to the one titled "First Kiss" . Just thought I'd make that clear.**

**...**

Katara stretched and yawned. She was standing in the moist grass not far from the town the Gaang was staying at. It was close to midnight. The moon was nearly full, but not yet; tomorrow night was full moon. Katara sat down slowly and looked at the dark sky. A distant roll of thunder reached her ears.

"Oh, I hope it rains!" she thought out loud. She loved when it rained at night; it felt so healing and smelled wondrous. Laying down in the grass, she decided to wait and see if it would rain, after all. If she went back, she might miss the rain. After the past few weeks of traveling in the Fire Nation, she needed to relax and feel the rain.

Meanwhile, Aang couldn't sleep. Sokka's snoring was terrible and the thunder was creeping him out a bit. He loved rain, just not thunder or lightning. Earlier he had heard the girls bedroom door open and close and had been waiting for whomever had got up to return, but they never did.

"_Maybe they had the right idea."_ he thought, running his hand through his hair, which he was only just getting used to having. He slid out of bed, out the bedroom door and across the hall, pressing his ear against the girls door. A loud snore rang out.

"Katara's the one up then..." Aang thought, shaking his head. Apparently Sokka and Toph were just too loud for he and Katara. He went outside and used his earthbending to see his surroundings. He 'saw' Katara about twenty or so yards away, laying in the grass and decided to join her, walking through the moist, wonderful smelling grass until he was only about a yard from her. He stopped and just watched her as she breathed slowly and calmly. He smiled; she always made him feel better whether she was trying to or not. She titled her head back and saw him standing there, smiling, looking back at the sky. The rain sodden clouds were slowly rolling in. Aang laid down beside her. He could feel the warmth coming from her skin, making his heart rate speed up considerably. He saw her hand resting peacefully on the grass and wanted so badly to hold it or at least touch it, but his own hand wouldn't cooperate. It was only inches from hers but wouldn't close the gap. He let out a sigh. Katara looked over at him.

"You ok, Aang? You're not usually up this late." Aang smiled.

"Yeah, Sokka's snoring was keeping me up though." Katara laughed. Aang's heart skipped a beat.

"I know what you mean! Toph sounded like an earth quake!"

"Well, she is an earthbender." Aang said jokingly. Katara giggled.

"I guess that means we'll just have to deal with it,"

"Guess so." Aang said smiling. Thunder rolled loudly as lighting shot across the sky. Aang flinched, remembering the storm that resulted in being trapped in the iceburg. Katara put her hand on his forearm causing him to shiver at her touch. His arm tingled warmly. He hoped it was dark enough to hide his blush. It started to drizzle lightly, the tiny shimmering drops were barely visible but you could feel them hit your skin.

"Good, I was hoping it would rain!" said Katara. She sat up and took a deep breath of cool moist air. She smiled curiously.

"Aang, look at the grass, doesn't it look like it's dancing?" Aang sat up and laughed.

"Yeah, it looks like it's enjoying the rain." The light breeze made the tall grass sway in the moon light, the tiny glittering drops of rain glinted beautifully as they moved.

"Pretty isn't it?," she said in a whisper.

"Yeah, it's like the plants are celebrating the rainfall." Katara's smile faded and a tear slipped down her cheek.

"What's wrong?" Aang said softly.

"It's just the memories.." Aang titled his head in confusion. Katara went on.

"My Mom loved the rain, When I was little, she and I would watch it rain. It only came in the summer and even then it was cold, but we still enjoyed it. We had the best talks then." Katara started to sob. Aang was finally able to move his hand so he placed it on hers and squeezed it gently. Katara turned toward him and hugged him, burying her face in his shirt. It took him off guard at first, his whole body feeling warm and tingly. But he managed to wrap his arms around her as well. They just sat there for a while, Katara crying and Aang though enjoying the closeness, was wishing so much to make her happy again. He hated when she was sad. She started to pull away so Aang reluctantly let her go.

"Thank you for coming out here and keeping me company, I needed it," said Katara, who was still a bit teary-eyed.

"I'm glad I could. Guess it's good I couldn't sleep." Katara giggled and smiled. Aang smiled back. She hugged him again and kissed his cheek. His whole body shivered and his face grew warm.

"_Tell her now! This is the perfect time! Come on just say it!"_ Aang thought to himself. He wanted so badly to tell her he loved her.

"Katara, I...I umm..." He said shakily.

"Yes?"

"Uh, I..." Aang sighed. "I hope we both sleep better tomorrow night.." Aang said, trying not to sound as angry with himself as he was. Katara looked at him questioningly.

"That's not what you were going to say, was it?"

"No."

"What was it? You can tell me."

"I'd rather not right now, if you don't mind." Aang said sadly.

"Well, alright. But if you ever need to talk, I'm here."

"I'll remember that. Thanks, Katara." Aang forced a smile.

"Well, I guess I better get back to bed. Night, Aang."

"Night," he replied, sighing sadly as she watched her walk away.

"Will I ever have the guts to tell her?" he asked himself. He got up and started back to bed as well, feeling depressed and mad at himself.

...

**Ok! Thats the end of chapter 1. And on completely unrelated news, I'M FINALLY DOWN WITH SCHOOL FOR THIS SUMMER! ... Please review... :P**


	2. Excitement And Wonderful Meals

**Author's Note: **

**Here's Chapter Two! I was suffering from a case of writer's block so I asked my Mom for ideas, and I took her idea and put it in my words and here it is!! Hope everyone likes it. Please review! **

**...**

Aang walked slowly up the steps of the house they where staying at. Just as he entered the door, thunder rolled and it poured down rain.

"_Made it just in time,"_ he thought absentmindedly. He walked past the girls room and heard Toph fussing at Katara for waking her. He went in to his bedroom and closed the door behind him a little too loudly. Sokka jolted awake.

"Ehh! What's going on? Is it morning already?" Sokka looked out the window. "It's still night time..." Aang flopped onto his bed and sighed.

"Aang? What are you doing up?"

"I was just getting some fresh air."

"But it's raining..."

"So?"

"Never mind, I'm going back to sleep, try to be quieter, ok?"

"Mmm-hmm," Aang hummed in reply, forgetting Sokka was the one who had kept _him_ up. Although by now he should have been exhausted, his mind was buzzing. He kept on thinking about what Katara had said about her mother.

"_I wish I could do something for her to remind her of her Mom..."_ Suddenly a wonderful idea dawned on him. He glanced over at Sokka who was snoring loudly yet again. Then be bounced out of bed and ran down the hall as quietly as possible. Walking into the kitchen as a broad smile spread across his face, he looked at the bland kitchen and imagined flower petals and breakfast food everywhere. A wave of memories washed over him as he remembered a stew which Katara had said she liked. He joyfully walked out the front door. With lightning flashing, Aang wondered if it would be better not to go through with his idea.

"No, Katara's worth it," he told himself as he headed off into the forest. He found a large leaf to carry things in and started his search. Gathering all of Katara's favorite fruits, mangos in particular, he found a field with some beautiful flowers and picked dozens of them. Then he went to a stream and used waterbending to catch and, much to his dislike, kill some fish for the stew. It was nearly an hour later when he returned, dripping wet but as excited and giddy as a guy could get. He airbended himself dry and got to work. Grabbing a big bowl out of the cabinet, he filled it artfully with most of the fruit he had gathered, leaving the rest for something special he had in mind. Then he got out a large pot and started making the stew, even though he had no idea how it would turn out. He had never cooked meat of any kind and of course he wasn't going to taste-test it. But he knew all the seasonings to use and how much of each. After he had gotten it cooking, he sat and took the petals off of the flowers one by one, leaving the biggest, brightest ones to put in a vase.

"What on earth are you doing, twinkle toes?" Aang jumped and saw Toph standing in the doorway watching him.

"I... Uh...well..I'm just making breakfast for Katara..." he said truthfully.

"Hmm, somehow that's not surprising," she said smiling.

"Please don't tell her I'm doing this!" Aang pleaded. " I want her to be surprised."

"My lips are sealed," she stated.

"Would you do me a favor and tell me if this tastes ok?" Aang said, walking over to the pot of stew he was making. Toph walked over and scooped out a bit and ate it. Aang watched her nervously, hoping for a good reaction.

"Oh my word!" Toph said, through her mouthfull. "This is amazing!"

"Really!" Aang said smiling.

"Yeah! Who knew you could cook!" Aang blushed. "I think it's done cooking though."

"Oh, Good!" Aang took the pot off the stove and put a lid on it.

"Toph, could you help me with one more thing?"

"I guess, as long as I don't have to go outside."

"Here," Aang said, handing her the bowl of flower petals. "Would you make a trail of these from Katara's bed all the way back to here?" Toph smirked.

"You really like her, don't you?" Aang blushed.

"Yeah, I really do. Just please don't tell her that! I want her to hear it from me."

"And just _when_ do you plan on telling her?"

"I...I'm not sure."

"Well, I'll let you work that out on your own; I guess I have some flower petals to do... Something with..." Aang laughed.

"Thanks, Toph!"

"Don't get used to it!" she said, as she walked to the girls bedroom. Aang turned his attention to the leftover fruit. He chopped it up, mashed it and added all sorts of odd seasonings, leaving it to stand while he made a light, fluffy cake-like bread which he placed in the oven with a silly childish grin on his face. Toph came back walking backwards, still dropping petals on the floor as she went.

"There, that's the last of them," she said, sounding a tiny bit excited as well.

"Here, taste this," Aang said, holding a spoon of colorful pulverized fruit. She ate it and smiled wide.

"What is that stuff?" Aang's grin grew even more.

"An Air Nomad specialty," he said, his voice filled with excitement. He took the cake-ish bread out of the oven and poured the fluffy fruit in the dent in the middle, using airbending to swirl it up into a pretty fluffy masterpiece. He then took the leftover flowers and placed them in a vase, arranging everything on the table until it looked perfect. He stepped back and looked at his hard work. It had taken three hours in all, but to Aang, it felt like seconds.

"I gotta hand it to you, Aang; Katara's really going to love this."

"You think so?"

"Yeah! I know I would even if it is kinda girly." Aang picked up a big spoon and stirred the stew one last time.

"If you want to go back to bed you can, but thanks for your help!" Aang said over his shoulder.

"Yeah," she replied; it was clear she hadn't heard him.

"Toph, you ok?" Aang said, replacing the lid on the stew.

"Um, yeah, I'm fine. But could I ask you something?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"What do you think I should do about Sokka?" Aang laughed.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I sorta have, like, well..."

"Huh?" Aang said questioningly.

"I have a crush on Sokka!" she said quickly.

"Really?!" Aang said smiling.

"Yeah, BUT DON'T YOU SAY A WORD TO ANYONE!" Toph said, punching him in the arm.

"My lips are sealed," Aang said happily. "But that wasn't really a question, it was more of a statement." Aang said.

"What should I do about it?!"

"I'm not sure I'm the best person to ask..."

"True, afterall you still haven't told Katara yet."

"I know," Aang sighed. "I'm hoping this will make it easier," Aang said pointing at the table. Toph yawned.

"Well, now that we've got that settled, I'm going back to bed. See ya." Toph tiptoed back to her bedroom carefully avoiding the flower petals. Aang looked at the table again. Excitement plagued his stomach. Eventually he went down the hall and quietly went back to bed. Sokka _still_ snoring loudly, Aang tried to go back to sleep but was too giddy to even close his eyes. He sat there imagining her reaction and realized that he was going to be extremely embarrassed when she finds out he did _all that_ for her.

"_What am I going to say when she asks me if I did it?"_ he sighed sadly. _"Maybe it would be better if I wasn't here when she got up..."_ He quietly got up and left through the back door. It was no longer raining and the sun was just starting to appear. He remembered a stream he had almost fallen into earlier and headed in that direction. He knew it would be a nice place to watch the sunrise. He smiled as he thought of Katara eating the fruit pie he had made.

"I really hope she likes it," he said aloud. Sitting up against a rock, he watched the sun rise and soon he fell asleep. He had been up all night, after all...

_..._**...**

**Yay! End of chapter two, Please review and tell me what you thought.**

**:P**


	3. Waking Up To A Feast

**Ok, here's chapter 3! Interesting thing, last night was a full moon for me; it was beautiful (6/17/08). Anyway, please review and tell me what you like or don't like. :P**

**...**

Katara sighed peacefully as she lay in her soft, wonderfully warm bed. She could tell by the faint light resting on her eyelids that it was morning, but decided to stay in bed a little while longer. She had been up late last night, using that as an excuse.

"_I bet Aang's already up. He's always the first one up..."_ thought Katara. She smiled, remembering how sweet he had been last night. She had always liked how caring he was, always listening to your problems and doing his best to help solve them. Lately he had been getting up at dawn and watching the sunrise in some private place. She asked him what he did while he was up in those early hours. He simply replied, "Just thinking..." She hadn't pushed him after that, knowing he would have told her more if he thought it necessary. Katara slowly became aware that something soft and cool was resting on her hand. She sat up and looked at it closely.

"_A flower petal?",_ she thought sleepily. She glanced around the room. From the middle of her bed on to the floor and out the bedroom door was a trail of beautiful golden-red flower petals. She smiled and cocked her head in confusion. Glancing at a sleeping Toph who, _of course _was snoring, she decided to see what this 'trail' led to. Giggling softly, Katara swung her legs out of bed and tip-toed out the bedroom door. She saw the flower petals were leading her toward the kitchen and smiled curiously.

"_What's going on here?"_ Entering the kitchen, which was nearly pitch black, she walked to a window and pulled the curtains.

" Oh! It's beautiful!" she gasped as she set her eyes on the table. A gorgeous red flower was in a vase with a few smallyellow flowers in the middle of the table. Next to them was a bowl of fruit, all the kinds she liked. To the right of that was a brightly colored cake-like thing she had never seen before, but it smelled glorious. And last there was a large pot with a lid. She edged toward it and opened it slowly, Inhaling the delicious aroma.

"No, it can't be. Can it?" She snatched up a spoon and tasted it. "It is! It's the stew Mom always made! But the only person I told that to was..." She smiled as she remembered. "Aang!" She started to cry, but not sadly. She was crying with joy. And was overwhelmed that Aang would do _all this_ just for _her._

"This was so sweet of him!" She laughed. "He actually cooked meat! For me!", which was something she never thought he would do. She ran down the hall laughing and crying all at once.

"Aang! Thank you so much! That's the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me! Aang?" She burst into the guys room; Aang was gone.

"Sokka, wake up! Where's Aang?!"

"Mmm, five more minutes..."

"SOKKA!"

"Ah! What! Why are you yelling?!"

"Where's Aang?"

"How should I know? I'm not his baby sitter!" Katara huffed and ran into her room.

"Toph!'

"What! I'm trying to sleep here!"

"Where's Aang?!"

"Aang's not here? Thats weird..." Toph said honestly. Katara frowned.

"_Well, I guess he went to watch the sunrise again. I'll just show Sokka and Toph what he did. Maybe he'll come back in a little while..." _

"You guys have to come see this! Come _on _Sokka, it's _food!"_ Sokka jumped out of bed.

"Lead the way, little sister!" he said happily. Katara ran back to the kitchen followed by her two hungry comrades. Sokka walked into the kitchen and frowned.

"What's with all the _romantic _stuff?"

"What do you mean?"

"Flowers, flower petals, that cake-pie thingy. It's all kinda romantic-ish..."

"You think so?"

"Umm, YEAH! It doesn't take a genius to see that." Toph said forcefully. Katara just blinked.

"Who made all this?" asked Sokka.

"Um, Aang did. And I think it was for me because the petals led here from my bed..."

"Really? Hmm, I'm not sure I like him making breakfast for my sister. Speaking of which, Where is Aang?"

"I don't know, he wasn't in bed when I came to wake you guys up."

"Oh well, LET'S EAT!" said Sokka joyfully. Katara opened her mouth to protest, but her hungry stomach told her otherwise. So they all sat and ate. A while later they sat back in their chairs sighing happily.

"Wow, who knew Aang could cook?" said Sokka.

"I know, thats what I said. Uh, I mean I agree..." mumbled Toph.

"And that pie was _amazing!_ I wonder what it was?" said Katara.

"An Air Nomad specialty. Erm, at least it could have been something like that..." Toph silently told herself to shut up. Katara put down her half-eaten mango and stood.

"I'm going to try to find Aang and tell him thank you."

"You do that, sweetness. I'll stay here and keep Sokka from eating all this stew."

"Good luck!" said Sokka as he served himself another helping. Katara rolled her eyes and walked out the door.

"_Aang can't have gone too far..."_

...

**End of chapter 3!**

**Tell me what you thought, I'm dying to see what you think!! PLEASE REVIEW! **


	4. Disappointment

**READ THIS AUTHOR'S NOTE!: Hey everyone! I've gotten some very good reviews on this story so far. Thank you to all who have reviewed!**

**I always enjoy hearing from my readers! **

**Here's Chapter Four. I want to let everyone know that I may not post Chapter Five till after the beginning of July, being that I'm going to a wedding in Baltimore, MD soon and will not have a computer. So sorry to make everyone wait!**

**...**

Katara had been wandering in the forest for quite some time now, looking for Aang.

"Maybe I should just go back and wait for him to come back on his own," she thought aloud. She heard a stream bubbling and started toward it. She was very thirsty by now, and also thought it might be nice to soak her feet for awhile. Reaching the edge of the stream, she waterbended herself a drink.

"Wow, this is good water!", she said smiling. The water was crisp and clean tasting and helped soothe her dry throat. She looked around and put her hand to her mouth in surprise. About two yards away, leaning against a large rock was Aang, sound asleep. Katara laughed softly at the thought of Aang staying up all night, yet still going to watch the sunrise, then falling asleep. She walked over to him.

"_How am I going to wake him up without startling him?" _she wondered. The closer she got, the more difficult it was not burst out laughing. He was covered from head to toe in flour and fruit pulp.

"_How on earth did he manage to get __that __dirty, yet keep the kitchen clean?!",_ she thought amusedly.

"Aang? Wake up, Aang?" she said softly. Aang moaned in his sleep. "Aang!" she said a bit louder. His eyelids twitched as if they had almost opened. Katara knelt down beside him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Aang!!" His eyes snapped open, pushing himself into a seated position.

"Katara? What are you doing here?"

"It's nearly noon and none of us knew where you were."

"Oh, sorry if I worried you guys..." Aang had momentarily forgotten about the breakfast he had made, but all of a sudden remembered. He blushed heavily.

"Also," Katara started, " I wanted to thank you for the _amazing_ breakfast you made. How did you know how to make that stew?"

Aang smiled shyly. "I'm not sure, It just sort of made sense how to make it..."

"Well, it was wonderful, Aang. Thank you!" She leaned toward him, making him tense up. But then, much to his disappointment, she kissed his forehead, missing Aang's preferred target by a lot. Then she stood.

"Come on, Aang. We'd better get back. They're probably worried sick by now."

"Yeah, I guess so...", he sighed.

"By the way, Aang, what was the pie thing? It was wonderful!" Aang smiled weakly.

"Just something I learned to make at the Southern Air Temple. It can only be made properly by an airbender. That's how you get it so light."

"Wow, that's neat, Aang!"

"Glad you liked it," Aang said with a slight smile.

"I never knew you were such an amazing cook. And that stew brought back so many memories of my Mom. You're a great friend, Aang!"

"Thanks," he said bitterly. _"Is that all she thinks of me as? A good friend?"_ He didn't really look Katara in the eyes the whole way back. Luckily, she was walking in front so he didn't need to. When they finally made it 'home', they were greeted by a rather surprising sight. They walked in the door and stared, mouths hanging open in shock. Toph had Sokka pinned against a wall and was kissing him full on the mouth. She broke apart from him and turned to face Aang and Katara.

"So, you found Twinkle Toes. Good for you, Sugar Queen. We were starting to get worried." Sokka cleared his throat.

"Umm, yeah, worried..." he said slowly. It was apparent that he was in just as much shock as Aang and Katara.

"_I guess Toph figured out what to do about Sokka on her own..."_ Aang thought to himself. Toph could tell by Aang's heart rate and breathing that he was a bit depressed. She made a mental note to ask him about it at earthbending training tomorrow.

"Well, umm," started Sokka, "Let's start getting our stuff together so we can be in the sky before nightfall." And with that, everyone went their separate ways to gather their things. It would be a long night of flying...

**End of Chapter Four! Sorry if it takes a while for Chapter Five! I'M DOING MY BEST! I have a life afterall. LOL Please review and tell me what you want in Chapter Five! Though I sorta have an idea for it already. :D**


	5. Reflecting

**Hey! Sorry it took so long to get this up. My Dad's in town from Iraq and I was spending time with him. Also, I had writer's block, so I started writing another story which is still not done yet, but w/e. Please review and tell me if you liked this!**

**...**

CRACK!! The sky lit up, casting a ghostly light on the rocks and cliffs that surrounded him. He clenched his teeth, willing himself not to flinch. The woosh of rain and roll of thunder was all he could hear, like earthbending in the sky, grumbling and growling at him.

"I have to get over this fear!" he told himself, sitting cross-legged on a large boulder, dripping wet and shivering slightly. He had come out to face his fear of the lightning and thunder, hoping to learn to relax and not jump and flinch every time the lighting cracked. Normally he got nervous whenever it stormed and he wanted to change that.

"_After all, what is there to fear about it? It's just fire and water..."_ Aang closed his eyes at the thought. _"Fire, the element that started this war, the element I was so careless with."_ Katara's scream of pain played in his head. The look on her face haunted him. Sokka's angry yell echoed in his mind._ "You burned my sister!" _

"_I was so selfish; If I had just done what I was told that never would have happened." _He tightened his fists in self-anger. Thunder rolled loudly. Aang didn't react. He was deep in thought, barely hearing the thunder at all. He wasn't even shivering anymore. He briefly thought about the state of the world and the war, but chose not to dwell on it.

"_At this point, there's nothing I can do. Not until the eclipse..."_ Again he wished he was doing it alone. His friends, no, his _family_ would be at risk with this plan. But there was no use in trying to keep them from coming; they weren't about to back down. They were sound asleep in a cave nearby, tired from a long day of flying. He thought about them. He loved all of them. Sokka was like an older brother. He _loved_ Katara. And Toph, she was like a bossy sister to him.

"_I was supposed to have earthbending training today... Guess Toph didn't feel like getting wet."_ Aang opened his eyes and gazed at the moon which, though partly hidden by clouds, was full.

"OWW!" A large peace of hail hit Aang's head unexpectedly. Though it was still storming, it had calmed down a bit; except for the falling ice chunk... Aang took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and calmly.

"_I guess I'd better head in for the night."_ He airbended himself up and hopped off of his boulder, heading for the caves, using airbending to dry himself as he went. Appa, who was sound asleep in the back of the cave, had left one leg out from under himself for Aang, who snuggled into it. After an hour or so of tossing and turning, he went to sleep. He was planning on sleeping in a bit. Getting up to meditate at sunrise or even just going off to think was not safe on earthbending days. You were likely to end up trapped in a rock slide or worse. Aang quickly learned it was best to stay in camp on those mornings.

His dreams were haunting, horrible dreams that night. He woke up gasping and soaked with cold sweat. He closed his eyes and calmed his racing heart. Reviewing the dream, he tried to make sense of it:

"_No! Stop! I'm the one you want, leave her, take me instead!" A large fire nation soldier held Aang back as three others gathered around Katara. She tried to waterbend against them, but her bending wouldn't work. Aang struggled franticly against his captor, but wasn't strong enough to break free. Katara screamed and tried to run. One of the soldiers grabbed her wrists and shackled them together. "Take her to the boiling rock and let her rot!" said the largest soldier. "No! Kataraa!..."_ Aang opened his eyes, wiping away the tears that had gathered. 

"_That would never happen. I know that. Katara is perfectly capable of protecting herself. I've got to stop having these dreams." _In the back of his mind he wondered where the name 'boiling rock' had come from, but chose not to further the thought. He laid back down and pictured Katara showing him some fighting stances. _"Katara is a warrior. She can protect herself. She's saved my life more than once."_ Soon he fell asleep, with a smile on his face, even a slight blush.

She is strong. She gives him hope.

...

**Ok, there it is. PLEASE review. I have to know what you thought. My Mom LOVED it. lol! So yeah, be expecting a new story from me soon. It's not Kataangy; in fact it's nearly ship free! Gasps echo NO WAIT! DON'T RUN! IT'S A GOOD STORY! REALLY! ... Sigh... Anyway, again, sorry for the wait. :) **


	6. Toph has an Idea

**Alright, here is Chapter Six! **

**I wanted to make clear the meaning of my last chapter as some people didn't get it. I wasn't trying to say that Aang's afraid of storms. What I was trying to say is he's afraid of the chaos they can cause, the damage and pain they very often bring. And I'm not talking just rain storms, I mean the storms of life - war... all those things. So sorry if I didn't make that clear.**

**...**

It was as if the earth shook with thunder. She stood at the mouth of the cave watching the downpore. As lightning flashes across the sky, she braces herself for the impact and it most certainly comes. It rolls and roars more loudly than any before it. Sokka, Toph and Aang simultaneously jolt awake.

"Man, some storm. It's been on and off for a few days now..." stated Toph. Katara nodded, still watching the rain which was finally starting to lessen. Aang walked over to her, watching her every move.

"Katara?" he said softly. She smiled, knowing he was worried about her.

"I'm fine, Aang. I was just thinking."

"You wanna talk about it?" She turned to face him and smiled warmly.

"It's no big deal, forget I said anything..." Aang understood she didn't want to talk. He nodded and looked out at the sky.

"Hey look! It stopped raining!" He ran out and jumped in the air, taking in a long refreshing breath of his natural element. He slowly floated back to earth, touching down gently.

"Alright twinkle toes, time for some training; follow me!" said Toph, as she headed off to train. Aang sighed and quickly followed her. Soon they arrived at a large clearing surrounded by pillars of rock. Toph stopped walking and turned to face Aang.

"Sit," she commanded, pointing at the ground with an irritated expression on her face. Aang obeyed, not wanting to get on her bad side. Toph paced back and forth in front of him, obviously trying to figure something out. Finally she spoke.

"She's more blind than I am!"

"Huh?" Aang responded.

"Katara! She's not seeing the picture clearly."

"What picture?"

"The picture you've been painting for her all along; the picture of your love for her."

"Toph, can we _please_ just focus on earthbending?"

"No, because this is affecting your bending. You've given up without a fight."

"Well, have you ever thought that maybe she knows how I feel and just doesn't feel the same way?"

"That's just it, twinkle toes, She _does_ feel the same way. She just hasn't realized it yet..."

"Toph.."

"No, listen, at this point you could have spelled out ' I love you ' in the fluffy fruit stuff you make and she wouldn't get it. You need to stop being to subtle about it and just tell her face-to-face."

"But.."

"But what, twinkle toes? It's simple!"

"No it's not!" Aang nearly yelled. "I have the fate of the whole world on _my_ shoulders. Everyone is counting on _me_ to end this war. Katara is the _only one_ who seems to understand that. If I tell her how I feel and it ruins our friendship... I'm not sure I could take it..." Toph just stood there, not sure what else there was to say.

"Come on, we have training to do," Toph said after a few seconds of painful silence.

(TIME GAP)

A few hours later they came back to camp, sweaty and tired.

"Oh good, you're back. Lunch is ready," Katara said cheerfully.

"Great! I'm starving!", Aang said as he gladly took a bowl of rice and sat down to eat. Sokka walked over to them, his 'Master Plan' in one hand and a half eaten bowl of rice in the other.

"Alright gaang, here's the plan."

"Let me guess," Toph said sarcastically. "We have to cut out sleep entirely to fit in with your plan..." Sokka scowled and looked at his scroll.

"Hey, that might just work!"

"SOKKA!" They all yelled.

"Fine, fine I'll find another way then..." He walked away grumbling. Toph smiled evilly.

"Katara, I think Aang has something to tell you." Aang coughed and choked on his rice before staring daggers at Toph.

"Really? What is it, Aang?"

"I'm not sure, I don't know what Toph's talking about..."

"You mean you don't want her to know, Aang?"

"I, I don't know what you mean..." Aang shook his head at Toph, trying to signal her to stop talking.

"Aang mastered the rock whirlpool technique we've been working on," said Toph.

"You did? Aang, that's great!" Katara got up and hugged him.

"Oh," said Aang, clearly shocked at what Toph was talking about. "Yeah, I did. It's not a big deal though."

"Well, I'm proud of you!", Katara said smiling.

"Thanks," he replied. Then they all fell silent. Soon they finished eating and went off to do their own thing. Toph sat for a while thinking about Aang and Katara. Suddenly an idea came to her. She jumped up and walked over to Katara who was cleaning up camp.

"Hey sweetness, what's up with you and Aang lately?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you're always hugging him or kissing his check. Do you like him or are you just teasing him?"

"What?! Neither! He's just a good friend!"

"Mmm-hmm..." Toph hummed.

"Really! I don't like him!"

"I can tell your lying!" Toph said in a sing-song voice.

"I'm not lying!"

"Oh yeah? Then why did you just blush when I asked if you liked him?"

"I don't know! How did you even know that?!"

"Same way I knew you were lying! Now, do you like him or not?!"

"None of your business!!"

"FINE!" Toph turned and walked away smiling. _" The seeds planted, Let's see what grows!"_

_..._

**All done! Please review and tell me if you liked it... I think it turned out alright. But I want to know what my readers think! Happy August 1st everyone!**


	7. Misunderstood & Depressed

**Alright, I'm ****so**** sorry I didn't get this up sooner! I had writer's block and I've been reading a lot of books. So yeah, but please review and tell me what you think of this chapter... It's a bit different from the others I've done... But I like it!**

**(PS, thank-you to my loyal readers who've reviewed and read all my stories! YOU GUYS ROCK!) **

**... **

Shoulder deep in the cool refreshing water, Katara ran her fingers through her dripping hair as she thought. She was bathing in a spring fed lake a good ten minutes walk from their camp site. Though she hadn't acted like it at the time, Toph's question had a real impact on her. She had never really given a second thought about her feelings toward Aang. She knew she cared deeply about him and that she was protective of him. And of course he was her best friend, but did it go further than that? A tiny noise interrupted her thoughts. She sank lower in the water before turning to investigate.

"_Aww_! Aren't you cute!" she said with a smile. Behind her, a little baby turtleduck paddled along all alone. Katara slowly extended her hand and rubbed it's fluffy little head.

"_Aang would __love__ this!" _Suddenly she heard a familiar voice calling her name. She grimaced as she realized that she hadn't told the others before she left. Now they were searching for her.

"Katara!" came Aang's voice again.

"_I can't let him see me like this!" _Katara glanced around and saw a large tree that hung over the lake, just barely brushing the water - the perfect place to hide! She quickly hid beneath it, making it just in time.

"Katara?" said Aang, as he emerged from the surrounding forest. Walking to the edge of the lake he spotted the baby turtleduck.

"Well hello, little one," he said softly. "I don't suppose _you_ know where Katara is?" It quacked and paddled closer to him. He smiled and scratched it's head gently, sitting on the bank as he watched it paddle around. Katara watched them silently from beneath the tree branches. Aang looked troubled as he spoke to the little creature.

"Toph just doesn't get it. She keeps pushing me to tell Katara, but I just can't. Not with the possibility of it ruining our friendship." Katara raised an eyebrow.

"_What could he possibly tell me that would ruin our friendship?"_ Aang stroked the turtleducks shell.

"She's my best friend. I don't wait to risk losing her. I...I _love_ her too much..." Katara placed a hand on her mouth in shock.

"_He __loves__ me?!"_ Some strange movement to her left caught her eye. She glanced over and let out a blood-curdling scream. A large snake was hanging from the tree she was hiding under. Aang jumped up, heart racing with adrenaline. He saw Katara duck out from the branches.

"Katara! What's wrong?! Are you ok?!"

"Don't come any closer!!" she said urgently.

"What?! Why?! What's wrong?!"

"JUST GO!!" she yelled. Aang hesitated, but turned and headed quickly back to camp.

"Why would Katara yell at me like that?" Aang wondered sadly. It was a few minutes of wondering before he 'figured out' what it was that made her so upset. He stopped walking and clenched his jaw. "She must have heard what I said to the turtleduck. This is just what I was worried about! She knows how I feel and now she hates me!" About five minutes later he arrived back at camp.

"Hey Aang! Did find my sister?" Aang sucked in his feelings and tried to act normal, rather unsuccessfully.

"Uh, yeah... She's fine..."

"Well, where is she?"

"Um, she'll probably be back soon."

"Oh, ... well, okay..." said Sokka as he went back to reading his 'master schedule'. Toph 'watched' as Aang leaned against the nearest tree and slowly slid down the trunk to the ground.

"_What now!"_ she thought, before walking over to him.

"Okay, what happened?" Aang glanced up at the question.

"Nothing! I found Katara; she told me to to go back to camp. So here I am..." Toph was already piecing together what happened based on his heart rate.

"Come on! Something else happened or you wouldn't be so depressed!" Aang faked a smile, and poorly at that; he was a terrible liar, mostly because he didn't get much practice.

"I'm not depressed! See? I'm just sitting here enjoying nature. Nothing depressing about that!" Toph felt Katara walking toward camp.

"Hmm, looks like Sugar Queen's on her way back..."

"Oh... well... uh, I'm just going to find a better place, somewhere else... to umm, enjoy nature for a while." Aang got up and wandered off. Just as he left, Katara came into view.

"Hey! There you are!" said Sokka. "Where were you all this time? We were worried about you!"

"Oh, umm, I was just, cooling off, that's all. Sorry I worried you."

"Yeah well, next time _tell us_ before you go 'cool off'!" Katara nodded a yes to her brother before going and sitting next to Appa, who was conveniently out of hearing range from Sokka. Toph walked over and sighed before saying,

"Look, I don't know what just happened with you and Aang, and I don't _want_ to know. But I do know that you need to go talk to him and work it out." Katara looked away, pretending not to hear what Toph said. But Toph knew she had, so she left it at that and went off to do her own thing, leaving it in _Katara's_ hand to fix. Katara was still undecided about her feelings about Aang; it was a big thing to decide. She sat there for a while processing the whole thing, trying to make sense of it.

"_Maybe if I give it time, it'll just blow over and things will go back to normal. Anyway, we've got the war to think about, I'd just be in Aang's way... It's better if we just stay friends." _ She nodded in agreement with herself before getting up to make lunch.

"_Everything will be over and forgotten by tomorrow. And we can get back to,..." she shook her head at the thought, " The plan."_

If only she knew how wrong she was...

**...**

**End of chapter! Please review and tell me if you liked it. I think it turned out well. I edited it SOO much while typing. (I hand write every chapter before typing.) Was Toph in character? I think she was but I need to hear it from **_**you,**_** the reader.**

**Also I know many will think it shallow that she's screaming over a snake. I love snakes, but If that happened to me, Out of pure shock I would scream. So there. And just in case it wasn't clear, YES, Katara was naked, I just felt it didn't need to be said in the chapter itself. **


	8. Broken Hearted

**Alright, here's Chapter, 8? YEAH! That's it... I already know what the next chapter will be. But because I'm cruel, **_**you're**_** going to have to wait for a while... **

**evil laugh**

**... **

Aang lost control of his rock whirlpool for the third time in a row. It crashed loudly into a earth pillar and crumbled. Toph, who was fed up with Aang at the time, turned and went back to camp, leaving Aang alone and irritated with himself. Katara watched from a distance. Over the past week, her feelings for him had grown every day... Every day she noticed something else new about him that she liked. And it was heart breaking knowing he was struggling. It had been a little more than a week sense he had found her in the lake. Other than having no concentration and acting a little odd around her, it had 'blown over'. She wanted very badly to tell him about her newfound feelings for him, but felt it would take his mind off of what really mattered, his training and the war.

"_He will go back to normal sometime. I know it. I just have to act normal and keep my feelings to myself..."_ with that, she headed back to camp.

Aang, on the other hand, had just made an important decision. He walked back to camp with a mission. Once he arrived, he watched Katara talking to Sokka about something to do with overcooked meat... At least it sounded that way; he wasn't sure...

"_Well, it's now or never,"_ he told himself before walking over and gently tapping her shoulder. She flinched and turned, seeming surprised to see him there.

"Could I talk to you, alone,for a minute?" he asked kindly.

"Umm, yeah, sure... What's up?" He turned and walked to a place where they could talk privately. He sighed, trying to find the right words.

"Katara, the other day, at the lake. Did you hear what I said about, um, my feelings toward you?" Katara looked at the ground.

"Yes..."

"Well, then I need to know, no matter what the answer is, whether or not you have feelings for me in that way." Katara was surprised how serious he was. He wasn't even blushing. She knew what the answer was. She hated to do it, but she told herself it was for the best. She sighed before answering.

"No. You're a great friend, Aang. But I don't have those kind of feelings for you... I'm sorry..." Aang closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"That's... that's fine. I...I just needed to know for sure. Thank you for being honest, Katara." The overwhelming guilt made her heart sink. She hated having to lie to him. But it was for the best... Or so she thought. She could see the pain in his eyes as he looked at her.

"Are you ok?" she asked him gently. He nodded and did his best to smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

"We're still friends, right?" she asked him.

"Of course! Nothing will change that!" She smiled.

"_He'll be ok, he already seems to be getting over it. I did the right thing," _she thought happily. "_After this war is over, I'll tell him the truth and everything will work out fine!" _She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm gonna go back to camp. Sokka's mad at me. He says I burned his meat..." Aang nodded.

"You go ahead, I'll be back in a bit." Katara turned and soon disappeared around the corner. In one air powered leap, Aang landed on a large tree branch where he could think for a while. Soon his eyes overflowed and tears ran down his cheeks. He reasoned with himself that it's better to let this out now, rather than trying to hold it in. It would just end up coming out in another way, maybe as anger or something worse. So for now he allowed himself the time to release his feelings. He would be fine eventually; deep down he had always known this would happen. How could someone like Katara ever love him anyway? She deserved better than him, it was better this way. But that didn't make it hurt any less. It felt good to cry, he wasn't sure why it made him feel better, but it did.

A while later he arrived back at camp. He looked normal other than his eyes being a bit red. The rest of the night he was quieter than usual, but nobody seemed to notice... That was fine with him. Soon he would be back to normal, back to fighting this war.

Katara watched him as he ate his dinner. He looked like he was deep in thought. She was a bit worried about him.

"_He's going to be fine!"_ she told herself. But she wasn't sure if she really believed it.

...

**On to Chapter 9! I hope you 'enjoyed' this chapter.(Who am I kidding! This chapter is kinda depressing... But it's necessary. You'll see... :) **

**Please review. **


	9. Peaches & Clouds

**Well, here we are at the last chapter of my story. I'm sad that it's over; it was so much fun to write. Well, I'm trying to get at least 50 reviews, so if you read, please review. Thanks for reading and following my story. Hope you enjoy the ending! **

**...**

Katara sat with her chin resting on her hand doing...nothing. There wasn't anything _left_ to do. She had spent all morning cleaning camp or washing clothes or cooking. Now all there was to do was think or sleep. She hadn't slept well in a few days - four to be exact. Something about Aang was really bothering her, but should couldn't figure out _what._ He was acting completely normal, and yet something just wasn't _right _about him. She watched him as he fed Appa some apples one-by-one, talking to him while he ate. She had always thought it was sweet that he talked to animals, but right now she was focused on finding the one thing that was different about him. When he smiled at her there was a hint of disappointment and pain hidden in his eyes that made her feel terribly guilty, but that wasn't it. She thought back two days earlier to when she first noticed that something felt different. Moment by moment she broke it apart, searching for the exact second she had first felt it.

"Hey, Katara." She jumped and turned to see Sokka standing behind her.

"What?" she said rather coldly.

"Have you seen my sword? I put it down somewhere around here..." She sighed, a hint of irritation in her voice as she answered.

"I put it on your sleeping bag over there."

"Thanks sis!"

"My pleasure!" she said sarcastically.

"What's wrong with you?", he soon regretted asking.

"_Nothing _is wrong with me! I'm fine, perfect, swell. SO STOP ASKING ME IF I'M OK!" Sokka blinked, wide eyed at the _loud_ response. He tip-toed away from his moody sister, knowing it was best to just let her be till later. She went back to searching for whatever it was about Aang that was bothering her. She remembered Sokka asking them to gather around and look at a map he had just bought so he could show them where they were going next. She then remembered sitting next to Aang and putting a hand on his shoulder when Sokka mentioned something about the invasion. And, there! That was it! Aang recoiled and pushed her hand away! That's when she had felt the weird vibe from him, and it had lasted till now. Along with this memory, she realized something else. She and Aang were supposed to have waterbending practice today. She stood and started toward him.

"Hey Aang! I just remembered we need to do some waterbending today. What do you think about starting now?" Aang looked up before answering.

"Sounds good to me." It wasn't too long before they were in the water, drilling different forms and techniques. Katara had shown him a new form today. It was much more difficult than any others they had done and he was working hard to get it right. He had tried it at least thirty times and hadn't got it yet.

"You know, if you want, we could move on and try this one again later?"

"No, I want to get it right at least once! Just give me a minute." Katara nodded, she watched as he tried again and again, working so hard to get it. Again she felt guilty for lying to him. How could she do that to such a sweet, caring person. She felt horrible as she stood there.

"Aang, are you _sure_ you don't want to take a break?" Aang just gave her a determined look. It was clear the answer was 'no'. Aang closed his eyes and took a deep breath before trying again, more slowly this time. Katara held her breath, hoping he would be rewarded for his hard work and get it right. He finished the move and looked at her questioningly.

"Did I get it?" Katara beamed.

"Yes! That was perfect, Aang! Great job! I think training's over for today." Out of pure habit, she leaned over and kissed his cheek, something she always did after he mastered a difficult move. She was shocked when he turned away from her kiss.

"Will you _please _stop doing that!" The harsh tone in his voice was silencing. Katara blinked.

"What?"

"Kissing my cheek and hugging me and stuff. You're torturing me!" Aang turned away from her and continued, "I mean I understand that you don't have feelings for me. But you're making it impossible for me to get over _my_ feelings. Katara, I've loved you since the day you broke me out of the iceburg. It's hard to try and let those feelings go." Katara made an important decision.

"Aang, I'm sorry I..." Aang interrupted her.

"Don't be sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you just now, forget about it, I'll be ok..." Katara smiled.

"You didn't let me finish. I was saying, I'm sorry I lied to you."

"What do you mean?" Aang turned to face her again.

"When I told you I didn't have feelings for you, I was lying. The truth is, I have _a lot_ of feelings for you. I lied because I didn't want to distract you from your training. But I guess I did more harm than good. I made you miserable. I'm so sorry." Aang stared blankly at her.

"So, what you're saying is, you _do_ have feelings for me?"

"Yes."

"Really? You're serious?" Katara giggled.

"Yes, Aang! I'm serious! I, I love you." Aang smiled wide, the pain disappearing from his stormy eyes. Katara then asked a rather stupid question.

"Can I give you a hug now?" Aang looked amused.

"Sure!" She hugged him tightly. He buried his face in her hair. When she released him he blushed wildly, a shy smile on his face.

"What?" Katara asked.

"Nothing! It's not important..."

"Aang! Tell me! _Please!_" Aang rolled his eyes.

"Fine! I was thinking that you smelled really good, like a fresh fall breeze, and like ripe strawberries and jasmine..." Katara stared at him in awe.

"Aang, that's so sweet! You want to know what you smell like?" Aang nodded. Katara hugged him again, burying her face in his shirt. She stepped back and thought for a second.

"You smell like the air does right after it rains, and like fresh ripe peaches, and... clouds." Aang's musical laugh filled the air.

"What does a cloud smell like?"

"It's hard to explain," she said smiling. "Come on, let's go back to camp." They walked slowly, both simply enjoying being by the others' side. Aang spotted a peach tree on the way. He cut one in half and they ate while they walked. Aang stared at his peach with an amused expression on his face.

"So, I smell like rain, peaches, and clouds?" Katara laughed.

"Yes, you do." He smiled but didn't say anything more. A minute or so later Aang stopped and leaned on a tree.

"Katara, can I ask you a question?"

"You just did."

"_Katara!" _

"Sorry! Yes, ask away!"

"Well, now that I know you like me and all, I was wondering if, well, maybe..." He sighed and turned bright red. Katara rolled her eyes before placing a hand on his chest and capturing his lips with hers. Aang's eyes were wide with shock, his body flattened against the tree. His heart beating wildly beneath her hand. She broke apart from him, both of them equally breathless.

"Was that what you were going to, um, ask me about?" Aang tried to answer but was incapable of forming words. So he laughed nervously and nodded yes.

"I had a feeling," said Katara with a smile. She started walking back to camp again. After peeling himself off the tree, Aang followed.

"You know what?" said Katara, a hint of laughter in her voice.

"What?" Aang replied.

"You taste like peaches too." Aang laughed.

"Oddly. so do you!" Katara shoved Aang's shoulder playfully. Aang airbended a breeze at her. They both laughed. Aang smiled contently. He had dreamed about this for so long. He hadn't known it would feel so good just to walk beside her, knowing she felt the same way.

"Hey Katara?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"For what?" Aang smiled.

"For making me feel like _me_ again." Katara smiled curiously.

"I'm glad I could." She looked at him and laughed.

"_Very glad I could!"_

...

**Well, there you go. Hand written it was 8 pages. Took FOREVER to type but it was worth it. Please tell me what you think! :P**


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